Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

Fifteen years before the Alorek War, Eroa received a message from one of its allies. For centuries, back at the founding of Eroa, the people had been allied with the humans of the Five Kings Union. It was through their intervention that they were able to obtain independence from Alorek.

Standing with tradition, Eroa would always prioritize interactions with the human nations whenever it could as a continued thanks for the part they played in their kingdom's freedom.

One such request for assistance reached the desk of a young King Verdayl Eroa. It requested the presence of their new King Rank warrior, Kalivas Kane, in the kingdom of Arcadios for a meeting with their Oracle.

Of course, having been intrigued at the prospect of being the one of the first non-human leaders to interact with the famous Oracle of Arcadios, Verdayl jumped at the opportunity to take Kalivas there.

Back then, Kalivas was a much younger man and a hotheaded warrior. Prior to becoming a King Ranker, he was a battle junkie who sought out any reason to fight that he could think of. Him and his best friend, Atil of the Gray Wolf Clan would constantly be on the lookout for trouble.

Verdayl's excitement made him forget about Kalivas's behavior for a moment, but crashed down upon him harshly as reality sobered him. He had feared for what Kalivas would do and say. Though, there had been talk that things had changed when he returned from the meeting between the continent's most powerful warriors where they inaugurated him amongst their ranks.

True to the rumors, he happened upon a strange sight, which was Kalivas calmly sitting in a dimly lit room meditating. At that time, Kalivas had just learned many unpleasant truths. Truths that shook him to his very core. Kalivas sometimes thought back to that moment where Verdayl's cautious gaze turned to a hopeful one.

He often wondered if he had been found in any other state, would Verdayl have declined the invitation and changed the course of his fate?

A scant few weeks later, they received permission to enter human territories and arrived at the royal palace. There, Kalivas greeted many powerful people, at least politically speaking. The Empyrean Rankers who defended the nation's territory were not present, so in terms of raw power, none that he spoke to rivaled him in power.

Still, there was a single person among the hundreds that he had met that caught his attention. She was beautiful beyond comprehension. Her fair skin glistened in the sun and her long, blonde hair cascaded perfectly down her back. As she moved about the castle, her gaze remained strong, resolute, and full of purpose.

However, the part that attracted his attention the most was how the bravado she showed off was simply a farce. Kalivas could see right through the façade she showed the world and behind it there was a meek and gentle woman who only wanted to hide away from the pressures of the court and the responsibilities of her station.

The romantic within him wanted to take her away from the stress and pain that she felt. Kalivas desperately wanted to be the hero in her story and save her from the life she had lived. After he was told his purpose for arriving, he felt as though it would be a possibility for him, no matter how minute.

The reason for requesting his presence was because the woman who had caught his attention, the Oracle of Arcadios, was required to have a child and raise the next Oracle. According to her visions, the one most likely to father such a child was none other than Kalivas himself.

He had been informed that the Oracle could not see visions of her own future. It was a limitation to her powers. However, by observing the future of others, she was able to observe another Oracle in the future, working alongside the kingdom. When she had a face to work with, she then attempted to look at that Oracle's future and saw her speaking with a man that fit Kalivas's description.

Normally, finding someone based off a description would be hard. However, Kalivas's name and image had spread far and wide as a newly awakened King Ranker. Because of this, the search for him was simple, and they only needed permission from Eroa.

Their first private meeting was awkward to say the least. Both of them knew why they were there and though Kalivas was far from inexperienced, the woman, who he found out was named Adellia, was. This was no surprise to him since she spent her entire life within the palace walls for both her safety and for the ease of control.

They would meet frequently, nearly having every meal with each other for a week on end. Each time, Adellia would serve tea that had an unfamiliar aroma. One day he finally asked and she informed him that it was tea made with raspberry leaves. According to old wives' tales, it was good for pregnancy.

Now, nearly nineteen years later, they sat alone on the same balcony they shared so many times. Once again, Adellia served the raspberry tea.

"I know you have many questions," Adellia sighed as she repeated herself. "Go on and ask them."

"Why did you hide their birth from me? Had you told me, I could have been here to take Lucius before he suffered." Kalivas nearly growled. Adellia did not flinch or react. She knew he was mad at the people who hurt their son, not necessarily at her.

After a long silence, she answered, "If you were here, you would have tried to convince me to leave again. I couldn't do that… you would have had our son with you as you left. If I watched you walk away with our son, having rejected you a second time, my heart would have shattered."

"Did it not shatter when you thought the boy dead? Did it not shatter when you discovered what he went through because of you?" Kalivas gripped the teacup harder than he intended, causing it to shatter in his hands. "I could have given him a better life than what he had, but because you could not face your own feelings for me, he suffered."

Tears began to form in Adellia's eyes and her hands started to shake. Unable to keep the tea from spilling, she placed it back down on the table. "I know." She whispered, "It is my fault. I had a way to escape this life, but my fear of the unknown kept me from choosing a better path. I could have given my son a better life, but my fear of hurting you sent him to a life of suffering."

It was hard to look at the love of his life like this, but there were many things that upset him. Some things are hard to forgive and sometimes unless they are explained, they can be impossible. Kalivas was not resistant to the idea of forgiveness. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to sweep Adellia off her feet and carry her away to provide the life she deserved, even now.

"Why did you decline my offer, Adellia? This life is not the one you wanted to live. Though you tried to keep your distance, I am not so stupid and dense to believe that you did not also harbor feelings for me. You confided in me. You told me, yourself that you did not want this life… yet when I offered an escape, you shoved me away. Did you see something with your powers that kept you here?

If that was the case, then I could understand."

Adellia quickly shook her head in denial. She stood and walked over to wall of the tower and placed her hand on the stone, gently rubbing her hands over it. "No, I never use my powers for such things. They exist only to serve the kingdom. That is how it has always been. Ever since the first Oracle served the kingdom, we only use our abilities for it.

The reason, you ask? Simple, I was scared, Kalivas. Just scared."

He stood and walked up behind her. She made no effort to avoid him, but did not turn to look at him. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder before spinning her around and backing her into the wall. His hands were placed on either side of her, keeping her from moving. Kalivas could hear her heart quicken, but she continued to stare into his eyes.

"Because you were scared? That's the only reason… if you just talked to me I could have…"

"Could have what, father?" Lyrah's voice called out from the side. Her tone was deathly serious. Somehow she had approached them from inside without him noticing. She looked at the two of them for a moment before continuing.

"What could you have done to comfort a woman who feared the unknown? A woman, who spent her entire life locked away in a palace, only ever seeing the outside world from a tower high above the people. What would you say to her if she was pregnant by the first man who ever treated her like a person, but had also scarcely known for a few months? What would you say, father?"

"I would have…"

"Tell me this, what would you have done? Let us say you took the Oracle of Arcadios, one of the most important tools in this kingdom's arsenal. The Oracle exists, according to them, for the sole purpose of protecting the kingdom. We are often considered more important than even the Empyrean Rankers.

"Would you hide? Where? How long? Would you allow Eroa to be invaded and destroyed? Would that not violate the very oaths that bind you to your position? Answer, Kalivas."

He looked at his daughter warily. Her words were like poison. They were spit at him with vitriolic fervor as though she were releasing a great hatred with him as the target.

"I…" He started.

"Lyrah, please…" Adellia whispered.

"And you mother, are you only a tool?" Lyrah's anger shifted to her mother, "Is that the only way you see yourself? Are you not also a person with thoughts and feelings? Do you not have children that you hope to be happy in life? Think about that, mother.

Think about what it means to be a person, because I don't think you have ever seen yourself as one, and if you cannot see yourself as a person, how can you claim to look at me as anymore of a tool than you are?"

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The silence left behind was deafening. Neither of them wished to move or speak. They only watched as Lyrah sighed and turned her back to return to the interior. She paused a moment before continuing, "Perhaps you both should think about what it is you wish to do in the future. It is yours to make what you will. I will not interfere.

There are other, more important things to concern myself with."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om